The Bengals don't plan to start Dennard "right off the bat," according to Hoard, but he will see plenty of snaps in nickel and dime packages.

With two cornerbacks over age 30 (Newman and Adam Jones), another returning from a second Achilles surgery (Leon Hall) and a fourth who has yet to live up to his first-round pedigree (Dre Kirkpatrick), it's not a stretch to suggest Dennard could emerge as the best of the bunch by the end of his rookie season.